Travel Firms Counter Rising Fuel Surcharges With Reimbursements and Discounts Rising geopolitical risk in the Middle East has sent international oil prices swinging, pushing up airline fuel surcharges on tickets. With May fuel surcharges expected to climb as high as Level 33, travelers planning overseas trips face higher costs. Travel companies are responding with full reimbursements of surcharge increases and broad discount campaigns to keep demand from cooling. ◆ “We’ll pay back the increase”: Modetour launches April-only fuel reimbursement Modetour said it will April 22, 2026

South Korea Selects 100 Tourism Startups Using AI and K-Culture in 17th Venture Contest The Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization have selected 100 tourism startups they say could reshape South Korea’s tourism industry, highlighting business models built around artificial intelligence and K-culture. The ministry and the organization said April 22 they had announced the final results of the 17th Tourism Venture Business Contest. The contest drew about 1,500 applications, up 35.2% from a year earlier, for a competition rate of 15 to 1. The o April 22, 2026

Paradise Credit Rating Raised to A+ on Strong Results and Hotel Expansion Plans Paradise has been building stronger credibility in capital markets on steady earnings and early investment, industry officials said. According to the industry on the 22nd, Korea Investors Service upgraded Paradise’s corporate bond rating at its eighth review to A+ (stable) from A (positive). NICE Investors Service also reaffirmed the A+ (stable) rating it assigned in October last year, again citing the company’s solid financial health. ◆ Casino demand, hotel deals seen supporting strong April 22, 2026

The Boyz File Embezzlement Complaint Against One Hundred Label CEO; Agency Denies Allegations The dispute between K-pop group The Boyz and their agency, One Hundred Label, has escalated into a criminal complaint as their exclusive-contract fight continues. The Boyz’s legal representative said on 21 that nine members filed a complaint accusing One Hundred Label CEO Cha Ga-won of embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes. The complaint was filed by nine members, excluding member New, the representative said. The conflict had already surfa April 22, 2026

Korea to Launch Welcome Week at Airports and Ports, Spotlighting K-Food to Draw 30 Million Visitors From April 24 to May 9, major gateways across South Korea — including Incheon and Jeju international airports and the ports of Busan and Seogwipo — will be turned into welcome hubs for inbound travelers. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Visit Year Committee said they will run the 2026 first-half Welcome Week, themed around K-food, during the peak spring travel season. The plan combines public-private discounts with promotions tied to local small businesses to boost April 22, 2026

WSJ: Trump Asked Aides Whether to Resume Strikes on Iran After Talks Collapse U.S. President Donald Trump asked aides whether the United States should consider resuming attacks on Iran after talks aimed at ending the war between the two countries fell apart, The Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper, citing U.S. officials, said Trump on April 21 asked advisers whether to review the option of restarting airstrikes on Iran. The officials said Trump weighed the possibility but was cautious about restarting a war that lacks broad public support and could drag on. April 22, 2026

South Korea to Normalize Q2 Treasury Bond Issuance as Foreign Inflows Rise The government decided to return to normal issuance of Korean Treasury bonds and other public-sector bonds in the second quarter. The Finance and Economy Ministry said it held the second meeting of a consultative group of bond-issuing agencies on the 22nd, chaired by Hwang Sun-gwan, director general of the Treasury Bureau, to discuss second-quarter issuance plans. For Korean Treasury bonds, issuance for May and June will be set within the first-half target range of 55% to 60%. Issuan April 22, 2026

Democratic Party, government and presidential office to form PM-led task force for balanced regional development The Democratic Party, the government and the presidential office said they will form a task force led by the Prime Minister’s Office to pursue balanced regional development and move into full implementation once personnel appointments are completed. Rep. Kim Young-bae, a member of the Democratic Party’s Special Committee on Balanced Growth, told reporters after a ruling party-government-presidential office policy meeting on the 22nd that the session broadly reviewed the Lee Jae-myung gove April 22, 2026

South Korea projects 2040 peak power demand at 131.8 GW, factoring in electrification of advanced industries The government projected South Korea’s 2040 target peak electricity demand at 131.8 gigawatts, reflecting expected growth from electrification and advanced industries. That is 2.5 GW higher than the target demand through 2038 in the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, despite only a two-year extension in the horizon. The Climate, Energy and Environment Ministry presented the outlook on Tuesday at a public forum in Seoul on demand projections for the 12th power supply-and- April 22, 2026

Japan’s Weak Yen May Face a Second Wave as Energy Costs Spur Real-Trade Selling With the Bank of Japan’s rate hike effectively pushed back to June, market participants are warning that Iran-related energy price swings could drive the yen’s weakness into a new phase. Analysts say yen selling led by corporate demand — rather than speculative money — is harder for policymakers to counter, raising the risk of a prolonged weak-yen cycle. Nikkei reported on April 22 that more investors are now talking about a “second wave” of yen weakness in the second half of this year. April 22, 2026